Schindler, Theodore Kenyon

THEODORE KENYON SCHINDLER

CAPTAIN
U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS

Theodore “Ted” Kenyon Schindler was born on January 1, 1922, in Berne Indiana, to the late John and Elfreda Springer Schindler. Ted attended Berne Public High School along with his brothers Hallman and Vaughn. During his High School career, Ted played basketball all four years, being the tallest on his team and adopting his nickname “Blackie”. Also in High School, Ted was a Sergeant Arena Officer, a club organized to hold programs for the school, he also served as part of the annual staff being one of the photo editors. After High School, Ted attended Butler University for two years and worked at Meshberger Stone Company before registering for the United States Army Air Corps on January 30, 1942, where his service number was 0-711030. 

In the Army Air Corps, Ted undertook pilot training at fields in Eagle Pass, Aloe and Foster Fields, Victoria and Missions, Texas. Ted flew a B-24J (#42-52075) Liberator with a crew of eleven men: Leonard Clyde, Henry Goldman, James Grahm Jr, Russel D. Johnson, Martin L Moskowitz, Harold L. Strickler, Aurthur Swedenburg, Charles Wherry Jr, Clarence A Wiley, Wallace Wise, Raymond Zisk. They were assigned to the 454th Bomb Group, 737th Bomb Squadron. 

Flying from Italy, the 454th Bomb Squadron flew 243 missions on over 150 primary targets in Italy, Yugoslavia, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Greece, and Poland. The Squadron was responsible for many war contributions including, The Drive to Rome, The Invasion of Southern France, and the defeat of Axis Forces in northern Italy. During this time, 13,389.19 tons of bombs were dropped.

Ted's brother, Hallman also served in the Air Corps as a B-24 pilot and they were stationed together in Italy with the 737th Bomb Squadron. Hallman eventually achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. His other brother, Vaughn also served in the Army Air Corps achieving the rank of Captain. He served in the Pacific Theatre in WWII and again during the Korean War. 

By the summer of 1944, air crews that achieved 35 successful missions were either reassigned to training bases in the U.S. or assigned to non-combat roles. On February 28th, 1945, Teds 30th mission, his plane was hit by flak while flying near Bolzano, Italy. The shell from the flak had taken out the tail of his B-24 and sent the plane into a spin, crashing into a mountain. The commanding officer said there were no parachutes seen jumping from the plane. A nearby witness said that they thought the way that the plane was spinning, it was not possible to jump from it. The crew is interred together at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in Lemay, Missouri. Just days before the fatal crash, he and his brother Hallman had been promoted to the rank of Captain. 

For his service and sacrifice, Captain Schindler earned the Purple Heart, Air Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Theatre Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the WWII Victory Medal. 

Information researched and collected by Cain Mills (2019) and Tucker Bohnke (2023).

SOURCES

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For Missouri, 12/19/2023-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 286

Ancestry.com. U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

1979 History of Adams County, Indiana. Adams County Historical Society, Inc., 1980.

4666thHistorian, editor. "454th Bomb Group." American Air Museum, 16 Nov. 2016, https://northadamsmy.sharepoint.com/personal/26bohnket_nadams_k12_in_us/Documents/023-2024/WW2/Capt%20Theodore%20K%20Schindler%20.docx.

King, Karin. "Capt Ted Kenyon Schindler." Find a Grave, Marcello Mastroianni, 30 Dec. 2009, www.findagrave.com/memorial/46134910/ted-kenyon-schindler. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023.

"Ted Kenyon Schindler." Honor States, Hello Pineapple LLC, 12 Sept. 2019, www.honorstates.org/profiles/466138/.. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023.

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